SILVERTON, Oregon (KGW) – The nation’s first openly transgender mayor is now opening his closet doors to get cash for his city.

Silverton, Oregon mayor Stu Rasmussen said he’s hoping someone will pay a pretty penny for what he calls “a little bit of authentic American history.”

He’s talking about his shoe collection — he has hundreds of pairs in every style and color.

As an elected official in the state, Rasmussen can’t personally profit from being in office. He said instead, the proceeds from his shoe sales can be a tax-deductible donation.

“I guess the unique and creative and crazy thing I did was to decide, ‘Well, let’s turn my shoe surplus as the first openly transgender mayor in the United States into historic collectibles’ and see if we can find a market for them,” he said.

The mayor explained that the economic downturn has hit everyone, even those in Silverton. And he plans to use the shoe profits to fund what he calls “the neat stuff,” like the pool, the senior center and other amenities in the city.

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